Self-mounting litter bag and method of manufacture



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SELF-MOUNTING LITTER BAG AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed May 3, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent SELF-MOUNTING LITTER BAG AND METHODOF MANUFACTURE William B. Wolfson, West Newton, Mass., assiguor toRepublic Foil, Inc., doing business as Consolidated Bag & Foil Division,Somerville, Mass., a corporation of Delaware 1 Filed May 3, 1963, Ser.No. 277,764 Claims. (Cl. 229--53) This invention relates to themanufacture of litter bags and similar paper or paperboard receptaclesfor general use, and pertains more particularly to improvements indisposable litter bags provided with an exposable area ofpressure-sensitive adhesive, whereby the bag may be removably mounted ona convenient supporting surface, such as the panel of a motor vehicle,the frame or post of a bed or chair, or the wall of a room.

I am aware that adhesively mountable litter bags have heretofore beenprovided for similar purposes, but those known to me have required theuse of separate, doublecoated, pressure-sensitive tapes or labels,protected by peelable cover strips, or the use of a separate, peelable,protective strip or sheet normally covering a patch ofpressure-sensitive adhesive on the bag. In such prior bags,

a special type of releasable paper or cloth must be ap-' plied to thebag and discarded after removal, and serious problems arise in supplyingsuch tapes or release papers to the bag during its economic andefficient formation in the usual bag making machines.

invention to produce a disposable litter bag of such construction thatthe use of a separate protective strip is obviated, and to provide amethod of manufacture which involves the application of a strip ofpressure-sensitive adhesive, as well as a continuous strip of the usualwatersoluble adhesive, if used, to the paper web entering the standardbag forming machine, and the application to said web of a marginalcoating of a release agent which preferably underlies a subsequentlyapplied pressuresensitive strip.

In accordance with the improved method of manufacture, both of theadhesive strips serve to seal one marginal area of the formed bag toanother underlying marard bag making machine, with minor modificationsin its 1 operating mechanisms. The bag may be lined, if desired, and asherein suggested, by a layer of metal foil, to afford increasedprotection and sanitation when wet substances or articles are depositedtherein for disposal; and it will be apparent that the bag may be apaper or paperboard receptacle of various sizes and shapes.

Additional advantages resulting from the use and practice of thisinvention will become evident from the following description of therecommended embodiments illustrated by the accompanying drawings, but itwill be understood that the structural details of the litter bag hereinshown and described may be varied to suit particular purposes orconditions without departing from the essence of the invention as setforth in the appended claims. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a paper sheet or web marginallycoated preparatory to forming a bag in a bag making machine;

; It is accordingly the principal purpose of the present FIG. 2 is anenlarged fragmentary view of a sectional portion of the web of FIG. 1,provided with a foil lining spaced from the coated margin thereof;

FIG. 3 is an elevation, partly broken away, of a litter bag produced bythe bag making machine from the lined web of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing one mode of exposing apressure-sensitive adhesive area;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing a second mode of exposingsuch adhesive area; and

FIG. 6 is a similar view illustrating a third optional mode of exposingsuch adhesive area.

The litter bag chosen for the purpose of illustration in FIGS. 3 to 6 ofthe drawings is of the gusseted type customarily produced in a standardbag making machine which applies a glue stripe longitudinally of acontinuously fed paper web, folds the web into a sealed, flattened tube,applies transverse glue stripes to the exterior of the tube at spacedintervals, cuts the tube transversely into individual bag sectionsadjacent the respective transverse glue stripes, and then folds andseals an end margin of each section to close the bottom of the finishedbag. A bag thus made in a variety of sizes is conveniently used as areceptacle for various commercial products sold in stores and markets,and for other well known purposes.

In accordance with the preferred practice of this invention, the paperweb 11 of FIG. 1 has the ordinary glue stripe 12 of aqueous adhesiveapplied a substantial distance from one longitudinal edge of the web; arelatively wide longitudinal band 13 of a release agent, such assilicone, is applied to that marginal edge of the web in parallel spacedrelation to the glue stripe 12; and a relatively narrow longitudinalstripe 14 of a suitable pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied over thesilicone coated band 13. The silicone coating is preferably appliedfirst, before the web reaches the bag forming mechanisms of the machine.The adhesive coatings 12 and 14 may then be applied, simultaneously orsuccessively.

The web of FIG. 2 includes an optional lining layer' 15 of metal foilwhich is preferably laminated to the paper sheet 11 at the time thesilicone coating 13 is applied. The foil lining is spaced from the gluestripe 12 and extends, as shown, to the opposite longitudinal edge ofthe laminated web.

In FIG. 1, the broken lines diagrammatically indicate the approximatepositions at which the individual bag sections of the tubed web aretransversely severed from the web, as aforesaid. The bracketed areas 16and 17 of FIG. 2 indicate the approximate width of the partiallyoverlapping-marginal flaps which close the front face of the gussetedbag of FIG. 3, and which are also designated 16 and '17, respectively.The mutual overlap of the underlying flap 17 and the adhesive-coatedoverlying flap 16 is wider than usual in a bag of this type, due to thecombined width of the silicone coated marginal band 13 (with itsovercoated strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive 14) and the inwardlyspaced, parallel stripe 12 of aqueous adhesive, on the underside of theoverlying flap 16.

In the completed litter bag shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the overlapped flaps16 and 17 are thus adhesively sealed by the relatively wide strip 14 ofpressure-sensitive adhesive and by the relatively narrow strip 12 ofwater-soluble glue. However, as the strip 14 is spaced from the extrememarginal edge 18 of the overlying flap, that unsealed edge is free to begrasped and lifted to expose a selected area of the pressure-sensitiveadhesive. The coating 13 of silicone or other release agent permits themargin of flap 16 to be peeled from the pressure-sensitive adhesivewhich transfers and firmly adheres to the uncoated paper surface ofunderlying flap 17, as indicated at 19 in FIGS. 4 to 6; but the twoflaps remain sealed by the glue stripe 12.

It will be apparent, however, that the glue stripe 12 may be omitted, ifdesirable, for some purposes, and that the strip of pressure-sensitiveadhesive, widened if necessary to extend beyond the inner edge of thesilicone band 13, may serve as the only means for sealing the overlappedflaps. In such optional arrangement, the margin of flap 16 would not bepeeled completely away from the adhesive seal.

It is apparent that the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip 14 may beapplied to the web margin which constitutes the underlying ba-g flap 17,instead of being superposed on the adhesive-releasing coating 13 of theweb margin which constitutes the overlying flap 16 (as previouslyexplained), so long as said adhesive strip and said coating are incontact between the superposed flaps when the bag is completed.

The margin of the overlying flap of the finished bag may be marked orscored in various optional manners to serve as a guide to the user inpeeling back, and removing, if desired, a portion of that margin toexpose a selected area of the pressure-sensitive adhesive, so that theexposed area may be pressed against a supporting surface for mountingthe litter bag in a position convenient to the user.

In FIG. 3, for example, a diagonal line 20 may be printed or scored onthe margin of flap 16 to indicate that a triangular tab 21 may be peeledback, as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, a line 22, parallel to the edge ofthe flap guides the peeling and tearing back of a rectangular tab 23. InFIG. 6, a scored line 24 extends parallel to the edge of the flap fromthe open top of the bag to the folded and sealed bottom margin 25thereof, so that a marginal strip 26 of flap 16 may be peeled downwardlyas far as desired, and readily torn off, if preferred.

Indeed, in any of these examples, the peeled marginal tab or strip maybe torn away, for it is contemplated that the litter bag will beadhesively mounted by the exposed patch 19 until the bag and itscontents are to be discarded as refuse. To facilitate removal of thetabs 21 or 23, the guide lines 20 and 22, respectively, may be scored orotherwise weakened, as suggested above; and it will be appreciated thatthe guide or scored lines may be located at any selected position on thepeelable marginvof the 4 cated by the broken lines in FIG. 1. With suchintermittent application, a modified bag having an exposablepressure-sensitive patch of limited length located, for example, at thetop of the bag, as indicated in FIG. 3, would be produced by theoptional procedure.

It will also be understood, as aforesaid, that a receptacle produced asherein disclosed may be used for purposes other than litter or refuse,and that the receptacle may be made in a variety of shapes and sizes andof paperboard and other suitable materials, as well as of plain orlaminated paper. The term litter bag as used in this description of theinvention, and in the following claims, is accordingly intended tocomprise equivalent receptacles or containers for a variety of purposes.

I claim:

1. A litter bag comprising a sheet of flexible material having opposedoverlapping marginal flaps adhesively bonded at one side of the bag, themarginal portion of the overlying flap having a coating ofadhesive-release agent extending to and parallel with the edge of theunderside of said marginal portion, and a bonding strip ofpressuresensitive adhesive extending longitudinally of said marginalportion between said overlapped flaps, in contact with said coating andin spaced parallel relation to said edge, whereby a part of saidmarginal portion may be peeled away from the underlying flap to expose abagmounting area of pressure-sensitive adhesive.

2. A litter bag as described in claim 1, the inner longitudinal edge ofsaid strip being spaced from the inner longitudinal edge of saidcoating, and a longitudinal stripe of aqueous adhesive disposed inspaced parallel relation to said coating and providing a permanent bondbetween the overlapped areas, from the top of the bag to the bottomthereof.

3. A litter bag as described in claim 1, said coating and said bondingstrip extending longitudinally of said marginal portion from the top ofthe bag to the bottom thereof.

4. A litter bag as described in claim 1, said overlying flap havingguide lines indicating the area to be exposed by peeling away such flappart.

5. A litter bag as described in claim 1, said overlying flap having aweakened line extending from the top of the bag in spaced parallelrelation to said flap edge to a point near the bottom of the bag,whereby the marginal portion disposed outwardly of said line may bepeeled downwardly from the bag top along said line.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,737,860 3/56Randall 93-35 2,861,735 11/58 Faltin 229,-53 2,894,675 7/59 Stein 2295 33,110,231 11/63 Stein 93-35 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

1. A LITTER BAG COMPRISING A SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING OPPOSEDOVERLAPPING MARGINAL FLAPS ADHESIVELY BONDED AT ONE SIDE OF THE BAG, THEMARGINAL PORTION OF THE OVERLYING FLAP HAVING A COATING OFADHESIVE-RELEASE AGENT EXTENDING TO AND PARALLEL WITH THE EDGE OF THEUNDERSIDE OF SAID MARGINAL PORTION, AND A BONDING STRIP OFPRESSURESENSITIVE ADHESIVE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID MARGINALPORTION BETWEEN SAID OVERLAPPED FLAPS, IN CONTACT WITH SAID COATING ANDIN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID EDGE, WHEREBY A PART OF SAIDMARGINAL PORTION MAY BE PEELED AWAY FROM THE UNDERLYING FLAP TO EXPOSE ABAGMOUNTING AREA OF PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE.